You are here

Focus::Daily News

NEWSLINE

In the 1980s and early ’90s, a new youth wave hit northern Italy. The movement was underscored by something referred to as “Afro/cosmic” music, a blend of synthesized disco sounds and African-inspired dance beats that swept through the nightclubs of small towns like Brescia, Bologna, and Verona.

Migrants sit on green plastic chairs in a soundless waiting room. Volunteers call them over, one by one. On a coffee table, Italy's populist politicians look up from the front page of an unread newspaper.

Debt of Italian state agency Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is taking a hammering on a par with that suffered by Italy’s government bonds on fears the incoming government will use it as a vehicle to fund a borrowing binge.

From congenial laid-back bars with views of the water to trendy terraces accompanied by sumptuous cocktails, find the best spot for an evening tipple with Telegraph Travel's Italian Lakes expert, Kiki Deere.

The Italian Lakes hosts a myriad of exciting events throughout the year. From an archaic car and motorcycle competition held in the beautiful parkland of Villa d'Este, to glorious wine festivals, Telegraph Travel expert, Kiki Deere outlines her favourites.

Archaeologists excavating an unexplored part of Italy's volcanic ash-covered city of Pompeii have discovered a street of houses with intact balconies that were buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

Creating a Masterpiece (promo)

Filmend at the Center for Italian Modern Art (CIMA) in New York City to announce the series of video recipes "Creating a Masterpiece." With Baci Perugina and Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Friar Francis in New York

Franciscan manuscripts from the 13th century in an exclusive and unique exhibition in the United States.
“Friar Francis: Traces, Words and Images”. This is the title of an exhibition that will be held November 17-28 at the United Nations in New York. It is the first time that manuscripts of the 13th and 14th centuries and Papal Bulls relating to the Saint of Assisi will be shown at the headquarters of the United Nations. The exhibition consists of 19 artifacts from the Ancient Fund of the City Library of Assisi, part of the library of the Sacred Convent in Assisi.
The heart of the exhibition is the Codex 338, a collection of the first writings and documents relating to St. Francis and the order of the Friars Minor, containing The Canticle of the Creatures, considered the starting point of Italian literature. Each year some six million people visit the Basilica of St. Francis, about 40 percent of them Americans. This is proof that Franciscan spirituality has again become a reference point and model for many people, thanks, above all, to Pope Francis, who puts the message of the Saint of Assisi into practice. The exhibition allows the visitor to get to better know, appreciate and understand Francis of Assisi, who is known to the world as a man and saint of the people, of peace and fraternity.
The exhibition is divided into three sections.
The first, “Traces”, includes documents which closely illustrate the historic journey of the saint. The cornerstone of this part of the exhibition is the Codex 338, a miscellany that contains the oldest existing copies of the writings of the Saint of Assisi. Deriving from the 13th century, it contains, among other objects, the 12 chapters of the Regula fratrum minorum, or, the Rule of the Friors Minor, approved in 1223 by Pope Honorius III, with which Francis gave to the brothers in the community a spiritual direction and a series of practical norms by which to govern their daily lives. Manuscript 338 also contains the Laudes creaturarum, better known as The Canticle of the Creatures, considered the first work in the ancient Italian vulgate and which has been recognized since the 18th century as the oldest poetic text of Italian literature. The first part of the exhibition also includes several Papal Bulls, including one from the year 1220 where the saint’s name appears in an official document for the first time.
The second section of the exhibition, “Words,” includes the oldest biographies of the saint, among them several rare codices and a fragment of the Vita beati Francisci by Tommaso da Celano, the oldest work dedicated to St Francis. This section also includes the extremely rare Memoriale in desiderio animae o Vita Seconda from 1247, copies from the early 14th century of the Legenda Maior e la Legenda Minor by Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, and the Fioretti di San Francesco, the celebrated hagiography of Francis in the Italian vulgate, which is characterized by a idealized, popular, portrayal of the saint which is still used today in many languages.
- The third section, “Images”, consists of a selection of miniature illustrated codices depicting the saint of Assisi. Among these is an antiphonary, a Franciscan breviary, a missal and the Bible of Giovanni da Parma.
Starting with words that tell the story of the Franciscan friar, the exhibition continues with images that celebrate sanctity with documents that use language and beauty to simplify and spread the spiritual physiognomy of the saint.
Locations of the exhibition
The United Nations
1st Ave and 46th Street – New York
One B neck
November 17–28, 2014
Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon Street - Brooklyn, NY
December 16, 2014–January 14, 2015
Made possible by the support of:
The Office of the Prime Minister of Italy
The Embassy of Italy to the United States
The Consulate General of Italy, New York
The Umbria Regional Government, Italy
The Abruzzo Regional Government, Italy
The Pontifical Council of Culture, Vatican City
Organisers
Sacred Convent of St. Francis of Assisi
The City of Assisi
Antiqua Cultural Association, Avezzano, Italy
Italian Academy Foundation, Inc., New York
Additional help from The International Society of Franciscan Studies, Assisi, Italy
INFO
www.sanfrancesco.org
www.i-Italy.org
----
VIDEO TRAILER
Produced by i-ItalyTV
Producer: Letizia Airos
Directed by: Mattia Minasi
Director of Photography: Matteo Banfo
Friar Francis: Andrea Pennisi
Narrator: Massimiliano Finazzer Flory
Editor: Mattia Minasi
Colorist: Giacomo Lampariello
Production Designer: Mattia Minasi
Graphics: Sara Gironi Carnevale
Production Assistant: Mila Tenaglia
Music: KPM Music-Future Classic
As seen on i-ItalyTV
Every Sunday @1pm airing on NYC Life (Channel 25)
Visit us at http://www.iitaly.org

Marinetti a New York

Marinetti a New York - Teaser Trailer - English Subtitles (2014)
'La storia di un uomo che non si piegò al suo tempo'.
As seen on i-ItalyTV
Every Sunday @1pm airing on NYC Life (Channel 25)
Visit us at http://www.iitaly.org

i-Italy

The multimedia network for all things Italian in America
Editor in Chief: Letizia Airos